Top 10 Ways to Motivate People to Buy From Your Website

As a copywriter, I often hear new clients complain that their e-commerce sites are not selling their widgets or services effectively. The key is motivating your prospects to take action by contacting you or buying your wonderful widget directly from your website. Here are some simple ways to ramp up your website, energize sales and collect the money you’ve been leaving on the proverbial table.

#1: MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE WHEN THEY ORDER.

Even though the Web has been around for a while, some people don’t feel comfortable ordering online. With identity theft on the rise, many customers—especially new ones—are wary. When prospects enter your site, remind them they can order through a secure server. If you want to build a loyal customer base, you also must provide a box to capture visitors’ email addresses when they visit your blog or website. State that their contact information will be kept confidential along with a secure site disclaimer.

#2: CREATE URGENCY TO BUY.

People are so overwhelmed with work, play, and family obligations that they postpone buying your product and then eventually forget about it. “Woo” or “court” them to buy now with a freebie, a discount, a “quantities are limited” disclaimer, or a deadline, such as “Order by midnight tonight before the price increase.” Note: If you state a deadline, you must stick to it or you will lose credibility.

#3: PUMP UP YOUR SALES COPY.

If your headline is too general, it will not attract your target audience. An inviting and attention-grabbing headline motivates potential customers to read more.

Research shows that by improving the headline, you can boost sales by as much as 50 percent. For example:

Make sure to list product benefits, not product features. Customers buy benefits, not features. For example, a car that goes from zero to 60 in eight seconds is afeature. The fact that it allows you to merge into traffic swiftly and safely is a benefit.

#4: REMIND VISITORS TO COME BACK AND VISIT.

People usually don’t buy the first time they visit a website, even if it’s visually appealing with compelling copy. But the more times prospects visit, the greater the chance they’ll buy. Think benefits in creating your on-line greeting and incorporate video on your website, so prospects can see your smiling face and connect with you. It’s also an efficient way to show your offerings and lead prospects through the buying sequence.

#5: CONTINUALLY TEST, RE-TEST AND IMPROVE YOUR AD COPY.

The secret to good ad copy is to test and re-test it with different elements, such as changing the offer, extending the guarantee, etc. Email your new sales letter to a segment of your subscriber list and see the results.

#6: KNOW YOUR COMPETITION.

Do you want to own your space? Do you want to capture more market share? Then, you had better watch the competition, because it’s watching you. Know your industry inside and out and who is taking customers away from you. Study your competitors’ websites, notice their strengths and weaknesses, and capitalize on them. Create a strong unique selling proposition that makes you and your company stand out in your customers’ minds.

#7: GIVE MANY ORDERING OPTIONS.

Give customers every possible way to order from you and give you their money. Accept credit cards, checks, money orders and other forms of electronic payments. Take orders by phone, e-mail, website, fax, mail, or even use carrier pigeons.

#8: KNOW THE SOURCE OF YOUR TRAFFIC.

If you want to turn your website visitors into paying customers (or subscribers), you need to learn why they are exiting your site and not buying or signing up for your newsletter. If they don’t send you an email or leave comments on your blog, you will not know where the prospects originated. The trick is to track where your visitors originated from, and which links they clicked, using Google’s free Analytics software.

#9: DETERMINE WHAT’S BORING OR CONFUSING TO CUSTOMERS.

While Google Analytics reveals what links your visitors clicked from, CrazyEgg (www.crazyegg.com) reveals which parts of your pages your visitors click on. Knowing this will enable you to improve upon your site’s conversion. The best part is that Crazy Egg shows you clicks even if they weren’t on links. For example, if your readers click on a product photo (or even your photo) you may want to magnify that graphic. Or you may want your prospects to read more information about the graphic that displays your product (or service). You don’t want readers to waste their time by clicking on images that don’t go anywhere, do you? Let your market tell you what’s missing from your page with Google Talk chatback (www.google.com/talk/start. html). You also will discover which products people are asking questions about, main questions or concerns they’re having with your product or service. If your customer service staff is dealing with your website, absolutely read through the transcripts. These golden nuggets of information are vital to the health of your business’s future!

#10: ASK YOUR VISITORS OR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT TO BUY.

A surefire way to know what your customers want to buy is to ask them with a survey using surveymonkey.com. This service allows you to send out surveys, and then it collects the data and allows you to interpret the results. For example, you might ask:

“How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?”

This is called a Net Promoter question and the answers should be on a scale from 0 to 10. This is a great way to really know what your customers are thinking. No doubt, you have used or heard of some of these strategies outlined in this article. Review them with your assistant or whoever does your marketing. Why? Because they work. It’s the little things that count in boosting your online conversion. Use this list to gauge what you’re doing wrong—and make it right—the first time out.